


A New Kind of Family

by mlea7675



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, Pregnancy, Surrogacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:01:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27547978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mlea7675/pseuds/mlea7675
Summary: AU in which Josh and Sam were an established couple pre-series. Josh approaches his female best friend/assistant Donna with an unusual request-and her decision wreaks havoc not only in her professional life, but in her new marriage.
Relationships: Cliff Calley/Donna Moss, Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	1. Prologue; Asking The Question

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story is a bit different than my previous stories. This is my very first time writing a story for Sam/Josh, and it may be my only story. But, inspired by the idea set forth in eowyn_of_rohan’s “Pieces Form The Whole”, where Josh and Sam are an established couple pre-series, I came up with this idea, my own unique take. I hope you enjoy, please read and review!

Chapter 1: Prologue; Asking The Question

It started with a cup of coffee. 

The year was 1995, and Josh was working in DC as the Legislative Director for the House of Representatives. He was in New York for the day, on a mission to negotiate with Democratic Representative Mark Richardson, and was desperately in search of a cup of coffee. When he finally had his coffee in hand, he was rushing out the door when he ran into someone. Literally. 

He looked up and locked eyes with a handsome young man with thick black hair and piercing blue eyes. 

Josh had always known he was different on some level, having no interest in girls. It wasn’t until he was at Harvard that he began to sense that he might be gay, and it wasn’t until his first year of law school-when, by coincidence, he went out on his first date with a guy-that he came out to his parents. 

When he finally worked up the courage to come out to Noah and Rachel Lyman, his mother’s only question had been, “Joshua, are you happy?” 

And Josh was able to smile and say, “Yeah, I’m happy.” 

And his father nodded and said, “Then that’s enough for us.” 

That was seven years ago. And now, even though he was working as hard he could and wasn’t really looking for a romantic relationship, Josh couldn’t even talk. He knew he was head over heels in love with this man, and he didn’t even know his name yet. 

He suddenly was aware that the man was talking to him. 

“I asked if you were OK.” The man with dark hair said. 

Josh managed to break free of his reverie long enough to say, “Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“You seem like your face is frozen in an...an odd way.” 

“No, I just...was lost in thought, that’s all.” 

“Oh. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I should probably get some coffee now. I’m gonna be late.” As he brushed past Josh, Josh called out. “Hey!” 

He turned around. 

“You got a name?” 

“Sam. Sam Seaborn.” And he was gone. 

Josh, meanwhile, had also caught Sam’s eye. The difference for Sam was that he wasn’t sure he wanted to be involved with a man. His experience coming out to his parents had not been...supportive, to say the least. He had come out to his parents his second year of college, only to be politely dismissed from his home and told that, if he wanted to live that lifestyle, he would have to do it somewhere else. And so there Sam was, out on the streets in California and eventually moving into an apartment of his own in Princeton. 

When he moved to New York after law school, he saw an opportunity to reinvent himself. While he was out, he wasn’t exactly open about it. If it came up, fine, but he wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship. 

Josh immediately returned to his hotel room, looking in the phone book for Seaborn, and coming up empty. He knew it was probably an exercise in futility; after all, he wasn’t even from New York, technically. 

Later that evening, he, for some inexplicable reason, ended up in a bar. It was late, he had met the Congressman for a dinner meeting, and he wanted a drink. Then he saw him. 

Sam was at the other end of the bar, having drinks with what appeared to be another guy. Josh didn’t know a whole lot about relationships, but he knew he couldn’t let Sam slip out of his fingers again. He took a deep breath, and walked over. Just as he reached the pair, he noticed the other guy put his hand on Sam’s arm, and leaned in. Josh looked on, shocked. 

Just then, Sam looked up. “Oh, hi.” He took note of the shocked look on Josh’s face, and hoped his date wouldn’t ruin things. “Um...I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name. From this morning, right? You spilled coffee on me.” 

At this, Josh laughed. “Yeah, that was me. So, um, I didn’t mean to interrupt your...you know, plans.” 

“No.” The other guy said. “Don’t worry about it. I was just talking Sam’s ear off. You know what blind dates are like.” 

At this, Sam looked stricken. Josh suddenly realized that Sam might not be out yet. Or was he? Why else would he be out on a blind date? 

But Sam recovered quickly. “Would you like to join us?” 

Josh’s eyes widened. Nerves had taken over again. “Sure.” he replied. He sat down, and that was it. 

He introduced himself to Sam’s date, Matt Skinner, and soon all three of them were engaging in heated political conversation. After three hours, Matt politely excused himself, but Sam and Josh kept talking to each other. Something clicked that night. Something that said, We are going to matter in each other’s lives. 

After that night, Sam and Josh exchanged phone numbers and agreed to keep in touch. It wasn’t easy, but between phone calls, emails, and travel back and forth from DC to New York, they developed a relationship. And they were falling fast and hard for one another. 

After a year of dating, they moved in together in DC. Sam kept his job at Gage Whitney Pace, commuting on the train every weekend. Josh kept working his way up in politics. And after a year and a half together, they knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. 

It was in this committed relationship that Josh approached Sam at Gage Whitney with a plan to runa dark-horse candidate for President: Jed Bartlet. Sam thought it was a crazy idea, but he believed in his boyfriend more than anything in the world, and he was willing to help him achieve his dreams. So, he went to New Hampshire. 

They went to New Hampshire as a couple, and people bought them that way. No one knew them as anything different. They all became friends: CJ, Toby, Leo, Donna, Josh, and Sam. 

Donna was Josh’s new assistant. After initially having her dreams of being romantically involved with Josh dashed when she realized he and Sam were together, she grew close to both of them. And when Jed Bartlet was elected, she happily came along to DC, ready to serve the new President. 

In what was the most surprising development of the first year of President Bartlet’s first term, Donna fell in love herself. Cliff was a lawyer at the Majority Counsel’s office, who Josh worked with to get A3-C3 passed. He kept coming back even after the bill was passed, mostly to see Donna. By September of that year, they were dating seriously, and on Christmas Eve, Cliff got down on one knee and proposed. They were married that August. 

Tragedy struck, however, on the day that Donna and Cliff returned from their honeymoon. At the airport, they learned that shots had been fired at the President’s motorcade. They rushed to the hospital, where they learned that Josh was in critical condition after being shot in the chest. Sam had been the one to find him. 

It was a long night, and a long recovery for Josh, but they all made it through. And it was around the same time that Josh and Sam began to take stock of their situation. If they could never get married, or have equal protection under the law, they would take the next best step as a couple. 

They would start a family. 

…  
Donna was working at her desk one afternoon in the middle of January. It had been a few weeks since Josh’s day-long session with Dr. Keyworth, but luckily for Josh, Sam and Donna noticed way before Christmas and got him an appointment. 

Suddenly, Josh appeared at her desk. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?” 

“Sure, Josh, what’s up?” Donna said cheerfully. Working with him was really working out, and she loved having Sam right down the hall. 

“We were thinking, do you and Cliff want to join us for dinner tonight? Old Ebbitt’s?” This wasn’t uncommon: the couples often met socially from time to time, whenever they could get off early, or on the weekends. 

“Sure, let me just call him and make sure we’re available.” Donna said, smiling brightly. She picked up the phone and dialed Cliff’s office. 

After a couple of minutes, she heard, “Cliff Calley.” 

“Hi, honey.” 

“Hey, what’s up?” Cliff said cheerfully. “This is a surprise, you almost never call me in the middle of the day.” 

“Do we have any plans for tonight?” 

“Um...nothing except curling up on the couch with my beautiful wife.” She could hear the smile in Cliff’s voice. 

“Josh and Sam just invited us out for dinner. Maybe we could do both?” 

“Sounds like a plan. You know I love the guys. What time?” 

“One sec. JOSH!” she called. 

“Yeah?” 

“What time do you want to meet for dinner?” 

“7:00?” 

“Sounds good. 7:00?” She asked Cliff. 

“Yeah. I’ll meet you at...wait, where are we eating?” 

Donna laughed a little. “Old Ebbitt’s.” 

“All right, I’ll meet you there.” 

“See you tonight. I love you.” 

“Love you too.” 

… 

Donna was waiting outside the restaurant when Cliff walked up. She was still in her clothes from work, but to Cliff, she never looked more beautiful. 

“Hey, you.” Cliff said, giving her a peck on the lips. 

“Hi.” Donna smiled. 

“The guys waiting inside?” 

Donna nodded, linking her arm into Cliff’s before walking into the restaurant. “How was your day?” 

“Ah, you know, same old, same old. Trying to get my testimony done before the break.” 

“Do you think your voice will make a difference on the case?” 

“I hope so.” Cliff smiled at his wife. “How was your day?” 

“Josh and I are trying to work on the stimulus package. Oh, and did you hear about the Leadership Breakfast next week?” 

“Yeah, that should be interesting.” Cliff said as they approached the table where Sam and Josh were. “Hey, guys.” 

“Hey, Cliff.” Josh greeted. “Good to see you again.” They all greeted one another before sitting down. 

After ordering their drinks, Sam spoke up. “So, there was actually an ulterior motive for us inviting you out tonight.” 

“Oh?” Donna asked, taking a sip of her water. “What’s up?” 

“Well, um…” Josh said, looking to Sam before continuing. “So, Sam and I have done a lot of talking since the shooting and the PTSD. We’ve been together about 6 years.”  
“And,” Sam continued, “while we’re very happy together, we feel there’s something missing in our lives.” 

“Like what?” Cliff wanted to know. 

“We’re ready to start our family.” Josh announced with a smile on his face. 

Donna’s face lit up. “Josh, Sam, that’s wonderful! Congratulations! Are you going to adopt?” 

“Not exactly.” Josh told her. 

“Not exactly?” 

“We were hoping to have a biological child first.” Sam said carefully. 

“You mean like a surrogate?” Cliff asked. 

“Not ‘like’ a surrogate.” Josh replied. “We actually have been thinking about who we would want to carry our child. We’ve heard so many horror stories about baby-selling operations and legal problems, that we would feel more comfortable if it was someone we know.” 

Suddenly, Donna looked up. Realization was beginning to dawn on her. “You’re asking me?” 

“Apparently not very clearly.” Josh laughed. 

“To be your surrogate?” 

The table fell silent. The only sound that was heard was Cliff’s stunned, “Wow.”


	2. Making A Decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the second chapter! This picks up right where the first chapter left off. I hope you enjoy, please read and review!

Chapter 2: Making A Decision 

Donna sat there in shock, unbelieving what she just heard. They wanted her to carry their child? Of course, she had heard of friends and family carrying children for their loved ones, but she somehow hadn’t expected that Sam and Josh felt they were that close. 

Sam and Josh, meanwhile, were hopeful beyond measure. They had discussed this long and hard, and they had their own reasons for wanting Donna to carry their baby. One, Donna was a close friend. There would (hopefully) be less worry and heartbreak all around then if they were paying a stranger to do it. Two, she was young and healthy, and thus more likely to get pregnant on the first try. And three, they would feel more comfortable about the idea of a surrogacy if the biological mother wasn’t completely shut out of the baby’s life after the birth. 

Cliff was also in shock. What would this do to their marriage if Donna decided to go through with this? What if she decided that she no longer wanted kids with Cliff, that one pregnancy was enough? Which was another matter that they had yet to discuss-they had only been married four months. 

Finally, Donna was roused from her thoughts. “Are you two sure about this?” 

Josh nodded. “Yeah, we are.” 

“What’s wrong with going through an agency?” Cliff wanted to know.

“Well,” Josh started. “It’s like we said before. We feel uncomfortable about the idea of going through an agency and being trapped into a contract. We’ve heard so many stories about people going through this and then having the adoptive or birth parents change their minds.” 

“Yes, but you should have a contract to protect both sides.” 

“I’m not suggesting that we just buy the first baby she conceives. I’m suggesting that she carry our child.” 

“Meaning what, artificial insemination?” Donna asked, still dazed by the initial request. 

Sam nodded. “Yeah. Donna, I think it goes without saying that you and Cliff are two of our closest friends. We chose you for a couple of reasons. One, you’ll be connected to us even after the baby’s born, and we do hope you’ll want to be involved afterward. And second, you’re more likely to get pregnant on the first try than, well, an older surrogate would be.” 

“So, this would be a traditional surrogacy? No donor?” Donna questioned. She wanted to be absolutely sure of what Josh and Sam were suggesting. 

“Right. You are right, though. We’ll have to write up a contract and get our own lawyers. Attorneys who are knowledgeable in the field of surrogacy.” 

“Now, hold on.” Cliff interrupted. “You three are talking about this like Donna’s already agreed to do it. We’ve agreed to nothing.” 

Donna looked over at her husband. “Cliff...maybe we should talk about this at home.” As much as she wanted to give Josh and Sam her instinctive answer right that minute, she also knew that she didn’t want to do this without the express support of her husband. 

“Yes, absolutely.” Josh chimed in. “Don’t give us an answer right now. Go home, talk it over, and let us know when you’ve reached a decision.” 

“Okay.” Donna said. “Then that’s what we’ll do.” 

Then, Josh asked how Cliff’s work was going, and the conversation moved to more stable ground for the rest of dinner. 

… 

Since they had driven separately to the restaurant, Donna and Cliff both drove home separately. Donna walked into their small two-bedroom apartment only a minute before Cliff did. 

He sat down wordlessly on the couch. “Do you want to start, or should I?” 

“What are you thinking?” Donna asked quietly. 

“I’m thinking...that I’m not sure how I feel about this.” He reached for Donna’s hand, squeezing it gently. “But what are you thinking? This is your body that we’re talking about here.” 

“I...don’t hate me, okay?” 

“No, of course not.” Cliff replied, nodding for her to continue. 

“My gut instinct was to tell them yes, and that hasn’t changed.” 

He looked up at her. “You want to do this?” 

“It’s gonna be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life.” 

“No kidding.” Cliff shot back. He stood up, and Donna began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was what she was afraid of. Her husband didn’t support her. 

“Are you sure that you want to just give up your child? Especially when you don’t even know how it’s going to feel?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“What-what do I mean? I mean, you’re gonna get attached. And the time is gonna come ten months from now, when you’re gonna change your mind.” 

“I’m not gonna change my mind. I want to do this, Cliff.” 

“And what about me?” 

Donna looked up at him. Realization began to dawn on her face. “You don’t want me to have someone else’s baby. Even if it’s for a good cause?” 

“I just...I’m not going to sit here and pretend to be thrilled by the idea of you having another man’s child.” He paused, gathering thoughts. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll stand in your way. I just want to make sure you’ve thought about it. I have a right to be worried about you.” 

“I have.” Donna said. Her voice was firm. “Cliff, ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to do just one thing that’s bigger than myself. One thing.” 

“You’re serving the President of the United States. Doesn’t that count?” 

“Yes. But my friends are asking me to do this for them. All they’ve ever wanted is to be fulfilled in their lives. And if having a child will do that for them, then I want to do what I can to give them that.” 

“Even if that means doing something difficult?” Cliff asked her carefully. He wanted to make sure she had really and truly thought about this, and that this wasn’t an impulse decision. 

“Yes.” Donna responded, standing up and looking him straight in the eye. “I want to help them. And I want to do something selfless. Something that will make a difference in the world.” 

Cliff watched her, shocked. “Your mind’s made up, isn’t it?” 

“Except for one thing.” She walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulders. “I won’t do this unless you agree to it. Unless you agree to support me. I know you might not fully agree with it. I know that even if you say you’re okay with it, that you’re going to have doubts. But I need you to support me on this.” 

Cliff’s face was unreadable. Thoughts were racing through his brain, but one thought consistently recurred. This was his wife, and her passion and fire for this and for other things in life was what made him fall in love with her in the first place. He knew that there was nothing he could do to change her mind once it was made up. He would figure out how to deal with his uncertainty. 

For now, he looked into his wife’s eyes and leaned forward to kiss her forehead before placing his forehead against hers. His voice was soft but sure. 

“You got it.” 

Cliff could feel her grin even before he saw it, a smile that could light up any room. She pulled back slightly. “Are you ready to do this?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. Let’s do this.” 

… 

The next day, Josh and Sam were sitting in Josh’s office. They were supposedly eating lunch together, but both of their minds were on the night before. 

“Hey, Josh?” Sam asked his partner. 

“Yeah?” 

“Did Donna seem...I don’t know, like she was leaning towards a yes answer?” 

“Sam…” 

“No, listen to me. Do you think there’s a chance she’ll say no?” 

“There’s always a chance!” Josh said. His gaze softened. “If this doesn’t work, then I guess we’ll go to plan B.” 

“What is Plan B?” Sam shot back. “I didn’t even know we had one.” 

“There’s still adoption.” Josh pointed out. “We could be foster parents, even.” 

“Yeah, I guess. But…” The look on Sam’s face left Josh heartbroken. “This is my one chance to continue the family line.” 

“Sam, I want this to work as badly as you do. Maybe even more.” Josh walked around his desk and took Sam’s hands in his. “But we have to let Donna make up her own mind.” 

“I know, I know, you’re right.” Sam replied, leaning up to give Josh a peck on the cheek. “But I wish it would happen soon.” 

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Donna poked her head around. “Is it alright if I come in, or am I interrupting something?” She looked from her boss to one of her best friends, sure she had interrupted a private moment between the two of them. 

But Josh shook his head quickly. “No, you’re not interrupting anything. Do you have those energy stats for me to look at?” 

“Yes.” Donna said, handing him the folder and shutting the door behind her. “And, actually, I’m glad you’re both here.” 

“Oh?” Sam replied, hardly daring to breathe. Please, God, let this be good news. 

“I wanted to let you know that Cliff and I had a long talk last night about what you asked me.” 

And?” Josh asked impatiently. Sam good-naturedly elbowed him in the ribs, silently telling him to let her finish. 

“And...I think we need to find attorneys.” 

All at once, Sam could breathe again. “Does that mean…?” 

“Yeah, it does.” Donna said, smiling. “I’d be proud to help you two have a baby.” 

Josh let out a whoop, before hugging Donna. Sam hugged her next before kissing her cheek. “You’re not gonna be sorry.” 

“I hope not.” She muttered. 

“What?” Josh said. 

“Nothing. Let’s just see how this’ll work and figure out a contract.” 

“Okay.” Sam said, clapping his hands together. “Let’s do this.” 

“Let’s do it.” Josh echoed. “So, what’s next?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And there’s the second chapter! Sorry it’s shorter than normal, but the next chapter will be longer. Also, a note: I know from research that traditional surrogacy (where the surrogate mother is the biological mom) is not as common today, but keep in mind that this takes place twenty years ago. Please let me know what you thought!


	3. The Contract (February 2001)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the next chapter! I hope you enjoy, please read and review!

Chapter 3: The Contract 

As soon as Donna told Sam and Josh that she would carry their child, they began to make plans. Their first order of business was that they each needed to find attorneys to help them draft the terms of a contract that worked for both couples. But also on the top of their list was to tell the person who could control the narrative if it happened to get out: CJ. 

Josh knocked on CJ’s office door. “CJ, can we talk for a minute?” 

“Sure thing.” CJ replied. “What’s up?” 

“Well, you know how you always told us you’re our first call?” 

“Oh, God. What did you do now?” 

“Nothing!” Josh said, defensive. “It’s actually good news, for once.” 

“Oh?” CJ was genuinely interested. For the past two years, ever since Sam and Josh’s hiring had caused a stir in the Washington papers, CJ had been one of their staunchest allies, constantly defending their loving relationship to the press. In truth, she had never seen a couple more in love than Josh and Sam. Well, maybe Donna and Cliff were a close second. 

“Um...Sam and I are planning on starting a family.” 

CJ gasped, smiling wide as she pulled Josh into a hug. “Josh, that’s great. Congratulations? Do you know if you’re going the international or domestic route yet?” 

“Oh, we’re not adopting.” Josh told her bluntly. 

“What, are you gonna get a surrogate?” 

“Actually, we’ve got one.” 

“Really?” she drawled. “And when do we get to meet her? Or do we get to meet her?” 

Josh smiled sheepishly. “Actually, you’ve already met her.” 

CJ’s head snapped up. “I have?”

Just then, Josh stepped to the door and beckoned in Donna, who walked in with a small smile on her face. The look on CJ’s face was almost comical. Her jaw dropped. 

“Wait...Donna’s your surrogate?” 

“Hence why we wanted you to be our first call.” 

“I-I mean...I can’t imagine too many people will have a problem with it. Unless you’re the father?” 

“No, no.” Josh assured her. “Sam is going to be the biological father, and Donna will be the biological mother.” 

“You’re not using donors at all?” CJ asked quizzically. 

“Why would we? There’s no reason to make this more complicated than it needs to be.” 

“Well…” CJ replied, sitting down as she took in the news; she was trying to separate her personas as friend and Press Secretary. “Professionally, I don’t think you guys will have anything to worry about. Nobody reputable will have anything negative to say if it comes out. It’s a good human interest piece.” 

“And as a friend?” Josh asked carefully. Donna was desperately trying not to look hopeful. 

“As a friend…” CJ trailed off, then broke into a grin as Josh and Donna looked visibly relieved. “I’m so happy for you I could burst!” She hugged first Josh, then Donna. “You’re gonna make me an aunt, how can I not be happy!” 

“Uh...CJ?” Josh said, laughing nervously. “You don’t think you might be tempting fate?” 

“Why?” 

“Because I haven’t even gotten pregnant yet.” Donna told her. “We just wanted to make sure you knew before you got the question.” 

“Fair enough.” CJ said. “Give Sam my congratulations, will you, Josh?” 

“Yeah.” Josh replied, smiling. He and Donna turned to leave, but CJ called out to Donna. 

“Donna, hang on for a minute.” 

Donna stepped back into the room. “What’s up, CJ?” 

CJ stepped towards her friend. “Are you sure you’re ready for this? It’s not gonna be easy, especially since it’s your first baby.” 

Donna sighed. She knew CJ was just looking out for her, but her mind was made up. And she was getting a little tired of people insinuating that she wouldn’t be able to handle it. If she was being honest, this was the best scenario she could be in if she was going to go through with a surrogacy. 

“Yeah.” she told CJ now. “I’m ready for this.” 

“Okay.” CJ replied, smiling. “Just making sure. You know I’m here if you ever need to talk.” 

Nodding and smiling, Donna walked out of CJ’s office towards her cubicle. 

… 

The next two weeks passed in a bit of a blur. After searching, both Donna and Cliff and Sam and Josh found attorneys that they liked. Donna and Cliff’s attorney was a man named Jeffrey Lawrence, and Joah and Sam’s attorney was a woman named Phoebe Hicks. Both layers were experienced surrogacy attorneys, and on the day that they negotiated the contract, all the parties met in the Roosevelt Room with Leo’s permission. 

They laid out the contract in front of them, ready to read it. A secretary sat at the end of the table, ready to take notes and print out the final contract, complete with the language they discussed that day. Phoebe, a tall woman with long reddish-blonde hair, was ready to start. “So, this contract will dictate the terms of the surrogacy, and hopefully will be signed at the end of this appointment. Do any of the four of you have questions before we begin?” 

Everyone shook their heads. Then, Jeffrey, a striking older man who looked to be about the same age as the First Lady, spoke up. “Then, let’s begin here. This is a traditional surrogacy contract, meant to be an agreement between Joshua Lyman and Samuel Seaborn, the Intended Parents, and Donnatella Moss, the Surrogate, along with Clifford Calley, the Surrogate’s Husband. Do all parties herein enter into this agreement voluntarily and agree to abide by all terms of the contract?” 

“Yes.” They all responded. 

Phoebe continued. “Ms. Moss, do you certify that you are over 21, and that you will submit, or have submitted, to any and all physical and psychological assessments to assure there are no risks in carrying forth with the surrogacy?” 

“Yes, I have.” Donna could answer honestly. 

“Do you agree to be artificially inseminated with Mr. Seaborn’s sperm, and to carry any children resulting from that procedure to term unless it is found to be detrimental to your health?” 

“Yes.” 

“Do you agree to adhere to any and all medical instructions, including prenatal visits, by your physician?” 

“Of course.” 

“Do you agree to surrender custody of the child upon delivery?” 

“Yes.” 

“Do you understand that neither you nor your husband will have any legal claim, nor are entitled to any visitation, to any children born from this agreement unless it is at the express permission of Mr. Lyman and Mr. Seaborn?” 

Donna started to nod, but was cut off by Phoebe, who had leaned in to listen to Sam. “My client would like to negotiate that term.” 

Sam leaned forward and said, “It has always been our intent to allow Donna to be a part of her child’s life.” 

“Really?” Cliff said, looking at his wife, then to Sam in surprise. “I thought you couldn’t do that with surrogacy. Adoption, yes, but...” 

Josh nodded, agreeing with Sam. “We know that this is going to be difficult, and we recognize that Donna is doing this tremendous thing for us, so we want our child to be able to know its mother.” 

Jeffrey turned to Donna and Cliff. “Is that amenable to the both of you?” 

Donna turned to her husband. “Cliff?” 

Cliff shrugged. If it made his wife happy to know that she would be able to be a mother to this baby, then who was he to argue? “If that’s what everyone else wants, then yeah, I think that’ll be a good thing.” 

She smiled. “Good.” 

“Okay.” Jeffrey spoke up. “Let’s talk about the birth itself. This child will be born in the District of Columbia, correct?” 

“Yes.” Sam agreed. He stole a glance at Josh. “Preferable at George Washington University Hospital.” 

Josh cracked a smile. “It’d be nice to have something good happen there for once.” 

Jeffrey chuckled. “We just need the state for the contract, make sure we’re all on the same page as far as adoption laws.” 

“Understood.” 

“Now, Donna, as far as who you would like to be present at the birth, do you have an idea? Would you like Mr. Lyman and Mr. Seaborn to be present?” 

“Um…” Donna hadn’t really given this much thought. If this were normal circumstances, of course she would want Cliff to be there, holding her hand, but would three people be too many? No, she decided. Josh and Sam had the right to be at the birth of their son or daughter-if they wanted to be, of course. But the question was, would Cliff even want to be there?

“I mean,” she started. “I want Josh and Sam to be there if they want to be there.” 

“I do.” Sam stated immediately. Josh immediately nodded assent. 

“All right. Then we’ll make a note that the Intended Parents will be present at the birth of the child. Let’s move on to finances.” 

“Oh, good.” Cliff muttered. 

Donna ignored him and leaned forward to whisper to Jeffrey. Jeffrey nodded and spoke up. “It is my client’s wish that she receive no compensation for carrying this child.” 

“No compensation?” Phoebe repeated, her voice dripping with surprise. 

“No.” Donna replied. 

“You wish to make this an altruistic surrogacy?” 

“I’m-I’m sorry, altruistic?” Cliff asked. 

“It means a surrogacy in good faith, without base compensation except for medical costs.” 

“And we will be footing the bill for those.” Sam stated. 

“Sam, you don’t have to do that.” Donna protested. “At least let’s agree to go 50/50.” 

Sam sighed begrudgingly. “Josh, is that okay with you?” 

Josh nodded. “Yeah, I can live with that.” 

“Are there any other terms of this agreement that we need to negotiate before we print out the final contract?” Phoebe asked the group. 

“Yes.” Sam spoke up. “We need to decide how many attempts we’ll make at artificial insemination.” 

“I-I can’t imagine we’ll need more than one attempt.” Donna said. 

“In case we do. In case, God forbid, you miscarry.” Sam pointed out. 

“You’re right.” Donna agreed. Cliff nodded in agreement. 

“So, why don’t we say three?” Josh suggested. “If, after three attempts, you don’t get pregnant, then we terminate the agreement.” 

“That sounds...more than fair.” Donna replied. “Let’s go with that.” 

“We’re satisfied with the terms?” Jeffrey confirmed. 

“Yes.” All four of them affirmed. 

Jeffrey nodded to the secretary, who sent the contract to the printer. Josh went to grab the copies, and laid them out in front of all the people involved. 

The end of the contract read in part: “We each separately declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the state of Maryland that the foregoing, and any other information personally known to the Parties, and provided to each other is complete, true and correct to the best of our knowledge, and that we agree to all terms herein. In Witness Whereof, the Parties have executed this Traditional Surrogate Contract as of the date indicated above.” 

After scanning the document to make sure it was all correct, they all signed the contract: first Donna, then Josh and Sam, then Cliff. The wheels were set in motion to begin their journey together. 

… 

A week later, when they all had light schedules because the President was in Tokyo, they set up the first artificial insemination attempt at a doctor’s office approved by their attorneys. Cliff caught up with Donna as she was about to head out of their apartment to the appointment. 

“You gonna be OK today?” He asked her. 

“Yeah.” Donna replied, giving him a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine.” She gave him a peck on the cheek and was gone. 

Cliff was still unconvinced, but he had promised himself that he would support his wife through this process no matter what, and that was what he would do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the wheels are set in motion! Hope you liked this chapter, and I hope it was pretty much accurate. Please let me know what you thought!


	4. Positive Or Negative?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the next chapter! Here is where things are really going to start to move. Hope you enjoy, please read and review! 

Chapter 4: Positive or Negative? 

It had been five weeks since Donna had gone in for her, Josh, and Sam’s first attempt at artificial insemination in mid-February. The appointment had gone about as well as all three of them had anticipated. The doctor, a physician whose clinic dealt with surrogacy, had come very highly recommended by both attorneys. Sam had met Donna at the clinic, given his sample, and had waited in the waiting room while Donna underwent her part of the procedure. Then, after the procedure had been successfully completed, they drove into work together. 

Josh was waiting on pins and needles as Donna arrived in her cubicle after her appointment. “How did it go?” 

“I think it went well.” Donna answered him. “At least, the doctor said we should know for sure whether or not it worked in about three to five weeks.”

Josh grinned slightly, then shuffled his feet. “You know, I don’t know if I ever quite thanked you for agreeing to do this. For me and Sam. It...it means a lot.” 

Donna smiled bashfully. “You know I’d do anything for you guys. You asked, and I felt like I wanted to do something selfless, something bigger than myself.” She sat down at her desk and opened up her computer, taking a moment to look up at Josh. “I just hope it works.” 

Josh’s smile faded a little, though he tried to look cheerful. “I hope so, too.” Patting Donna on the shoulder, he turned to walk back into his office, then stuck his head back out. “Hey, are we meeting with Skinner on 405?” 

“No, you are.” Donna volleyed back. “Have you told him yet?” 

“About…?” 

“About...you know.” 

“Oh. I thought we were going to wait to tell people until we knew for sure it was gonna work.” 

Donna nodded. “Fair enough. Either way, he’ll be here at 10.” 

With that, Josh, Sam, and Donna all continued on with their day, fully prepared for the possibility that this could either go very right-or horribly wrong. 

… 

The next few weeks passed slowly. With the initial procedure, Donna and Cliff settled into an uncomfortable silence. Donna wondered often what was going through his mind. Was he still spending time adjusting to the idea that she was (hopefully) pregnant with another man’s child, or was it something more? Finally, Donna cornered Cliff one night in the kitchen as they were getting ready for dinner. 

“Is everything OK, honey?” she asked him as they were sitting down at the table. They didn’t often eat there, mostly choosing to eat in front of CNN or C-SPAN, but Donna had insisted that they have a real home-cooked dinner for the first time in a couple of months. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Cliff assured her. “Just a lot going on at work.” He smiled reassuringly at Donna, who found herself returning a small smile. “I’m sorry if I worried you.” 

“Anything you can talk about?” 

“Just...legislation, this business with the Surgeon General a few weeks ago, you know how it is.” 

Donna smiled, a real smile this time. She had missed this-the two of them just talking, without the subject of the surrogacy hanging over their heads. There was still a proverbial elephant in the room, though. 

“Cliff...if I turn out to be pregnant, you’ll be OK, right?” 

“What-where is this coming from?” Cliff was honestly confused. Was his discomfort at the idea that obvious? 

“Just me being paranoid, I guess.” She laughed. “Everyone’s been telling me how hard this is going to be, and I don’t doubt that. But I don’t expect anybody else to understand how I feel, either. I need to do this, not just for Josh and Sam, but for myself.” 

Cliff nodded in understanding. “I’m not talking you out of this, Donna. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I will support you all the way through this.” He reached for her hand and pressed a kiss to it. 

“You know, we didn’t talk about what we’re going to do about the delivery room.” Donna said. 

“The delivery room?” Cliff asked, perplexed. 

“Do you want to be there?” 

“I mean...this should be your thing. Yours and Josh’s and Sam’s. If the room gets overcrowded, I’ll leave. I won’t ask either of the guys to miss their child being born.” He paused. “The question is, do  _ you  _ want me there?” 

Donna looked deep in thought. Then, she reached for Cliff’s hand and covered it with her own, the fluorescent bulbs of their dining room chandelier reflecting off of her diamond wedding ring. “I may be doing this for Josh and Sam, and I don’t want them to miss this either, but I also know that I don’t think I can get through this without you. I’ve gone through a hundred different labor scenarios in my head, and all of them have one thing in common-you. You’re my husband, and I love you, and I want you to be a part of this.” 

Cliff sat back, a little shocked. Sure, he had suspected as much from the contract negotiation meeting, but he hadn’t expected Donna’s wishes to be quite so clear. But even if it made him uncomfortable, he did love his wife more than life itself, and he really would do anything to make her happy. Even if it meant dulling his own feelings. 

“I wasn’t sure you would want me there.” He admitted. “But if you need me to support you, to hold your hand and remind you to breathe, then that’s what I’ll do. This may not be my baby, but you’re still my wife.” 

Donna let out a sigh of relief. “Really?” 

“Really.” He came around to Donna’s chair and leaned down to kiss the top of her head, their hands still entwined. He looked carefully at their hands: her diamond ring and his gold wedding band were the only distinction between their fingers. This would be a hard journey, but he would do whatever it took. 

“I love you.” he murmured. 

“I love you.” Donna replied, reaching up for a kiss. 

… 

The next day, four weeks after the insemination procedure, Donna came to work to some distressing news: Josh informed her that Sam’s parents were getting a divorce, and that he was taking it badly. Donna walked over to Sam’s office and knocked lightly on the door. 

“Sam?” She asked quietly. The Eagles’ “New York Minute” was playing on Sam’s stereo, and Sam just looked...well, lost. 

“Sam?” She asked again, a little louder to attempt to be heard over the music. 

Sam looked up. “Oh, hey, Donna.” 

“Josh told me about your parents.” She said. “I’m really sorry.” 

“Yeah. Thanks.” He replied. “You know, if it wasn’t for Josh, I don’t think I would’ve gone home in the last two days.” 

Donna nodded. She wasn’t sure what to say to that. “Um...do you want to talk about it?” 

“Not unless one of your parents has had an affair.” Sam said dejectedly. 

Donna’s eyes widened, then she smoothed over her surprised features. “Your mother or your father?” She had never had the pleasure of meeting either one of Sam’s parents, but from the sound of things, Sam had had a storybook childhood-up until his parents kicked him out for being gay. After that, according to him, he had managed to slightly make up with his mother to the point of bringing Josh around a couple of times, but his relationship with his father had remained strained. 

“My father.” His voice was cold. 

“If you need to talk…” 

“I don’t, actually.” 

“Well, I’m right here if you do.” She reached for the door, and then she heard it. 

“My father didn’t pick up a cocktail waitress, Donna.” He blurted out. “He’s had a woman in an apartment in Santa Monica for 28 years.” 

Donna turned around. “Wow.” was all she could say. “When did you find out?” 

“Tuesday. Turns out my father isn’t as good at covering his tracks as he used to be, and my mother found out.” He stood up, ready to move on. “We should get to the Roosevelt Room. Don’t want to miss Leo’s Big Block of Cheese Day speech.” 

“Sam…” Donna trailed off as he brushed past her. Her heart was breaking for her friend. She hoped that this incident wouldn’t completely destroy Sam’s relationship with his parents, especially before they might become grandparents. 

“Donna, just-” Sam looked ready to tell her to drop it, then he faltered. “Thanks for the offer, but I really don’t think there’s anything you can say to make this better.” Then, he turned on his heel and walked towards the Roosevelt Room. Donna had no choice but to follow. 

A couple days passed, and while Donna didn’t hear anything more about Sam’s family problems, she was soon too busy to care. 

It started with some queasiness in the morning. It usually went away before work, but came back sometimes in the evening. She brushed it off as a stomach bug, but the next week, one week after ‘Big Block Of Cheese Day’, she was in the Oval Office for Senior Staff when she began to feel nauseous. 

President Bartlet was busy droning on about the new health care package they would pass the next week, when suddenly the pale assistant leaning against the wall of the Oval Office caught his eye. 

He took off his glasses and looked her way. “Hey, Donna, you all right?” he said in her general direction. Suddenly, five pairs of eyes were on her. 

Donna’s head snapped up when she realized the President of the United States was addressing her. 

“Yes, sir.” she said quickly, standing upright as her stomach flip-flopped in protest. “I’m just a little nauseous, that’s all.” 

The President turned to Leo. “Leo, let Donna lie down in your office for a few minutes, will you?” 

Leo nodded, then nodded to Donna. “Go on. Josh, help her into my office. Bathroom’s just across the way.” 

“Thank you, Leo. Thank you, Mr. President.” Donna said gratefully. She walked over to the dividing door, but with every step, she felt more and more sick. 

She barely made it to the bathroom in Leo’s office, getting there just in time to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. She sat there for a few minutes, until she was confident that her wobbly stomach had stopped protesting for now. 

Walking out of the bathroom, she was met by Leo and Josh, who had mirrored concerned expressions on their faces. 

“Are you OK?” Josh asked, putting an arm protectively around her shoulders and guiding her to the couch. 

“I will be.” Donna. “You really don’t need to fuss over me, I’m fine.” 

“You’re sure?” Josh said. He pressed a hand to her forehead. “You don’t feel warm.” 

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and Abbey Bartlet stepped into Leo’s office. 

“Now, now, don’t get up.” She said to Donna, who was scrambling to sit up and get to her feet. “You’ll end up right back in the bathroom if you move too fast.” 

“Dr. Bartlet, what-what are you doing here?” Donna stammered. She knew she was sick, but she didn’t think she was  _ that  _ sick. 

“Margaret called me on Leo’s orders.” Abbey explained, sitting down next to Donna and feeling her pulse. “Your pulse is a little rapid, but that’s to be expected. How long have you been feeling like this?” 

“A couple of days.” 

Abbey nodded briskly. “Well, it’s probably a stomach virus.” 

Donna couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice that it might not be the one possibility poking at the back of her mind, but that she didn’t dare utter in case it wasn’t true. “That’s it?” 

Abbey caught on to the tone in her voice. “Unless...you don’t have a fever.” She hesitated, as if she wasn’t sure whether to bring it up. “Could you possibly be pregnant?” 

Her eyes widened. Could It have been this easy? Could it really have worked on the first try? 

She nodded slowly, and the First Lady smiled brightly. She had heard rumors about the journey that Donna was going on to help her boss and his partner become parents. If this was true, she was as much thrilled for Josh and Sam as she was for Donna. 

“Then I think you better go tell a certain Deputy Chief Of Staff and Deputy Communications Director that they’re going to be parents.” 

Donna grinned. “Thank you, Dr. Bartlet. Thank you so much.” She got up, then froze. “Wait, I should probably confirm it first.” 

“That would be wise, yes.” Abbey nodded, laughing a little at Donna’s excitement. 

Just then, Margaret poked her head in and handed her a CVS bag. Donna looked in the bag, then at Margaret in shock. 

“You’ve been throwing up for the better part of two days. My sister’s had three kids and she was the same way. I figured you would need them.” Margaret said in explanation. 

Donna laughed. “Thanks, Margaret.” 

… 

Two hours and three positive pregnancy tests later, Josh, Sam, Donna, and Cliff were at a restaurant, toasting to their success. 

“To a healthy and smooth nine months!” Josh proclaimed, clinking his glass with everyone’s else’s. 

“Hear, hear!” Cliff replied. 

As they talked excitedly, Josh put his arm around Sam and squeezed his shoulder. Everything was beginning to fall into place. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Donna’s pregnant! Hope you liked this chapter. And in case anyone’s wondering, I’m going to have the Donna/Cliff conflict come to a head in the next couple of chapters. Please let me know what you thought! 


	5. A Manchester Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the next chapter! This’ll go through the first few months of Donna’s pregnancy, and start the emotional splintering of Donna and Cliff’s relationship. I hope you enjoy, please read and review!

Chapter 5: A Manchester Baby (June) 

After a visit to the doctor confirmed Donna’s pregnancy, Josh and Sam began to revel in the fact that in seven months, they would have a baby. They eventually told the others on the Senior Staff, and they were equally as delighted. Abbey Bartlet even offered to check in on Donna, even though she would be going to regular doctor’s appointments. The President made a comment that since this baby would be born under the Bartlet Administration, he or she would be, for all intents and purposes, an honorary “Manchester baby”. And as Donna passed the 12-week mark in early May, they all breathed a sigh of relief. 

But soon, they wouldn’t have time to revel in it too much. There was a black cloud-or “bigger potatoes”, as Toby would put it to CJ-on the horizon for the Bartlet Administration. 

Josh pulled Donna into his office one day in mid-May. Donna walked carefully into the room-her morning sickness had mostly dissipated, but she still felt a little wobbly in the mornings. “What’s up?” 

“Close the door.” His voice was firm and businesslike. 

Donna was a little bit taken aback, but she closed the door. She sat down across from Josh’s chair, and he came around to sit on the edge, facing Donna. “Donna...I have to tell you something. It’s going to blow wide open sometime in the next 72 hours, and it’s going to come as a shock, but I wanted you to hear it from me.” 

She nodded, still a bit confused by Josh’s tone. It was then that she began to notice that Josh was on edge-more than normal, anyway. Something was definitely eating away at him. 

“In 72 hours, an interview is going to air. President Bartlet is going to announce to the world that eight years ago, he was diagnosed with MS, and that he concealed it during the election.” 

To her credit, Donna did not look shocked-at least not on the outside. Thoughts were going through her head like a freight train: The President has MS? Why didn’t he say anything? How long has Josh known? 

It was the last question that came out verbally. “How long have you known?” She asked softly. 

“A few days.” He admitted. 

“Are you OK?” 

Josh laughed. “I just dropped this bomb on you, that the President has a life-threatening illness and lied about it to the entirety of the United States, and you’re asking if I’m OK?” He paused, gathering his thoughts. “I’m...handling it.” 

He leaned forward. “Donna...you’re the first person on the assistant level to find out. Ginger and Bonnie don’t know, Margaret doesn’t know. Donna, I’m not even sure Mrs. Landingham knows yet. The reason I’m telling you now is because this is what we’re going to be working on for the next 24 hours, and I’m gonna need you on your game. Can you do that?” 

Donna nodded. “Yeah. Absolutely.” She paused. “Is the President in a lot of pain or discomfort right now?” 

Josh quickly shook his head. “No. He’s in remission, he’s fine.” 

“Okay. I should get back to work?” 

“Yeah.” Donna stood up to leave, but was stopped by Josh’s voice. “Donna?” 

She turned. 

“Are you all right?” 

She nodded quickly. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.” She would break down later, when she was alone. Probably before Cliff got home from work. 

“I don’t think I need to tell you how important it is that you not discuss this outside-” 

“Yeah, of course.” She replied, and then she was gone. 

… 

Three nights later, the interview aired on national TV, shortly after the funeral of Dolores Landingham. Donna and Cliff both mourned the older woman who had always been so kind to them-the sterling silver platter she had gifted to the couple on their wedding day still sat prominently in their kitchen. Josh and Sam also mourned her: she had always been quite supportive of them as a couple, more so than most of her generation. Josh even commented to Donna that if the baby turned out to be a girl, they wanted to name the baby after her somewhere in the name. 

But what made that day memorable was what occurred at the Press Conference afterward. Donna had been working late at the White House, so she and Margaret car-pooled to the State Department, where Cliff was waiting for her. He didn’t say anything, didn’t ask how long she had known, or why she hadn’t told him, just pulled her to him and kissed the side of her head. She, Margaret, and Cliff were standing right there at the back of the crowd when the President announced he was running for re-election. 

One month later, they were all in Manchester for the President’s campaign kickoff. But before Josh could wade too deep into blowing the tobacco lawsuit, Donna had news for both him and for Sam that would probably make their week. 

She knocked on their door at 9:00, not wanting to wait a second longer. 

Sam answered the door. “Donna? Is everything OK?” 

“Yes, everything’s fine. I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?” Josh looked stressed, as if he and Sam had been in the middle of an argument. 

“No, no, you’re not interrupting anything.” Josh assured her. “Come on in.” 

She walked into the room. “So, you guys know I had the ultrasound right before we left for Manchester, right?” 

Sam slapped his forehead. “Oh, my gosh, I forgot!” They had been so busy after the announcement and trying to get the re-election campaign off the ground that neither Sam nor Josh had been able to take off enough time to attend Donna’s 18-week ultrasound. She had left copies of the ultrasound pictures for both on their desks, but they hadn’t had a chance to really talk since then. “Is everything all right?” 

“Yes, everything’s fine.” Donna reassured them. “The baby looks completely healthy.” 

“And...unless I’m counting wrong, you have something to tell us about the baby?” Josh guessed. 

Donna looked confused. Then it dawned on her. “You guys really want to know the gender?” That was one conversation they hadn’t really had prior to the signing of the contract-while she wanted to know, she was going to leave it up to Josh and Sam as to whether or not they actually wanted her to disclose that information. 

Josh and Sam exchanged a look, silently conversing with one another. Then, Sam turned to her and said, “Yeah, we do.” 

“Well, then…” Donna trailed off, before breaking into a grin and putting the guys out of their misery. “Congratulations, you’re having a son.” 

Josh’s jaw dropped, and he let out a gasp as Sam brushed his hand across his eyes. 

“A-A boy?” Josh stammered first, walking up to Donna. “We’re having a little boy?” 

Donna nodded emphatically, her own eyes watering. 

Josh embraced Donna, and Sam almost immediately joined the hug. 

“Thank you.” Sam whispered. “You have no idea how much this means to us.” 

“I think I do.” She said quietly, her eyes shining. The three held each other in that embrace for several minutes, before getting themselves together and going on with their day. 

… 

Cliff, meanwhile, was feeling more and more like he wasn’t being heard in the surrogacy discussion. What’s more, Donna was spending less time at home than usual. She blamed it on the impending hearings and having to go through boxes for Josh, but Cliff also knew that whenever she wasn’t working, she was busy with Josh and Sam, either talking about the baby, or helping them with names, or whatever. Even though he had promised to support Donna through all of this, there was a part of him that couldn’t help but be jealous at the closeness his wife had developed with guys other than him. 

There were other things, too. Right as the hearings were getting underway, he was denied a transfer to Government Oversight from Ways and Means. He had hoped that with the transfer, he might be able to be closer to his wife. Later, he kicked himself for not realizing how stupid that thought was. They would never let him anywhere near Government Oversight, not as long as there was the glaring conflict of interest of being married to one of the defendants. 

While he would never confront his wife about it, he couldn’t help but be a bit cold whenever he visited the White House. It wasn’t her fault, but it seemed like everything in his life had been going right before the pregnancy. 

On one particular day, he decided to visit Donna at work, hoping to spend some time with her. His Capitol Hill credentials allowed him to go right into the West Wing. He walked into the Communications Bullpen, across from Donna’s cubicle, and ran right into Sam. 

“Hey, Cliff!” Sam exclaimed, shaking his hand. “Haven’t seen you in a while.” 

“Yeah, I’ve been, um, busy.” Cliff replied. 

“So have we.” Sam replied. “Just trying to get through these hearings and trying to get ready for the baby, you know how it is.” 

Cliff was quiet. He knew about the first part, but not about the second part. Did he have to remind Sam that this was actually Donna’s first pregnancy? Luckily, Sam noticed right away that Cliff seemed uncomfortable, and was quickly able to deduce why. 

“I’m sorry, that was insensitive of me. Of course you wouldn’t know. Why would you?” 

“No, I know you didn’t mean it.” 

They were tripping over their words. Finally, Cliff took a breath. “So, how’s the prep for the baby going?” 

At this, Sam lit up. “We’re still trying to decide on names, but we narrowed it down to a few. We are so excited to hold our son in our arms. I don’t know if I can wait ‘til November! Has Donna said anything to you about how the pregnancy’s been going?” 

Cliff was caught off-guard. Sam was asking him? Weren’t he and Donna all chummy now? They were spending so much time together. 

“Hasn’t she talked to you about it?” Cliff wanted to know. 

“Well, of course she has. But she does come home, right?” 

“Of course she does.” Cliff replied impatiently. “She just spends a lot of time with you.” 

“Look, Cliff, we have your support on all of this, right?” Sam was worried that maybe Cliff hadn’t been entirely honest about his feelings when they had agreed to go on this journey together. 

But, by then, Cliff just wanted to get out of there and find his wife. He appreciated Sam’s apology, but here he was, still carrying on about the baby! The baby that was Sam’s, anyway. Besides that, he was tired, frustrated, and impatient, so what slipped out next wasn’t entirely surprising. 

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask Donna? She seems to be seeing you more than me lately. Which I get. It’s your son, after all.” 

The emphasis on “your son” was what struck Sam as Cliff walked away. He wondered when things had become distant-and where their relationship with Cliff Calley had begun to go so horribly wrong. 

… 

Cliff walked over to the Policy bullpen, where he immediately saw Donna typing furiously on her computer. His earlier argument with Sam and his lingering feelings dissipated as soon as he saw her. He walked over to her desk and touched her shoulder, surprising her. 

“Hey!” Donna said, grinning wide as Cliff leaned down to kiss her hello. “What are you doing here?” 

“I thought I would take my beautiful wife out to lunch.” Cliff said, smoothing her hair. “Can you get away?” 

She smiled. “Yeah. Josh is on the Hill all afternoon having meetings about the estate tax, so I can get away for an hour or so.” She paused, reflecting. “It’s been forever since we had lunch.” 

Cliff grinned back. “Yeah, it has.” 

As they walked out, a truce with Josh and Sam declared in Cliff’s mind, they had no way of knowing that the problems and widening gulf between them were only just beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And there’s a nice little cliffhanger for you all! I hope you liked this chapter, please let me know what you thought!


	6. Things Fall Apart (August)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hope you like this chapter! Things are going to get rough by the end of this chapter. Hope you enjoy, please read and review!

Chapter 6: Things Fall Apart (August)

The next two months of Donna’s pregnancy progressed smoothly, and so did the President’s reelection campaign. There was still the shadow of the MS hearings, but Donna knew they would get through those with minimal headaches, she hoped. Of far more concern to her in the late summer months of 2001 was making sure that the pregnancy went as planned, and that Josh and Sam would have a healthy son. 

One day in the last week of August, shortly after the first anniversary of Rosslyn had passed, Donna lay on an exam table in the doctor’s office, listening to the steady thumping sound of the baby’s heartbeat. Josh and Sam were watching the monitor, transfixed by the sight of their unborn little boy. 

“There’s the head, and the spine, and the legs.” The doctor narrated, moving the wand around Donna’s belly to give them all a good look at the baby. 

“His fingers and toes are so tiny.” Josh breathed, looking at the screen as baby boy Seaborn-Lyman decided to give Donna a strong kick. 

Donna laughed. “He just kicked. I think he knows we’re watching him.” 

Sam sighed. “I love him so much already. And I haven’t even met him yet.” 

“Well,” the doctor said, flipping off the monitor as she finished with the ultrasound, “I’d say he’s right on track to arrive at the end of November. Does that work for you guys?” 

All three of them nodded. 

“Looking forward to it.” Donna quipped with a smile. 

“Have you three decided on a birth plan?” 

“We’re going to be present for the birth.” Sam confirmed. 

“Good, that’s good. And Cliff?” 

Donna paused. “He said he’ll be there, but I don’t know for sure.” 

Josh looked surprised. “Really?” He had thought Cliff was 100% on board with the process. But one look at Sam suggested that that maybe was not the case. 

The doctor, meanwhile, had moved on. “Have you given much thought to your labor?” She asked, directing the question to Donna. 

“You mean, as far as whether or not I want to do it naturally, without an epidural?” Donna questioned. The doctor nodded. 

“Not yet. I mean, I’d kind of like to try it without, but I’m not completely opposed to the idea of medication. I just know that sometimes it slows down the labor.” 

“Sometimes, but don’t worry too much about it. You don’t have to make the decision right now.” 

As they walked out, ultrasound pictures in hand, Josh caught up to Donna. Sam had gone ahead of them, going to his MS deposition. Joah was worried, but Sam reassured him that there was nothing to worry about: they were really only looking at Leo and Abbey. But now, Josh had other things on his mind. 

“So, are you and Cliff gonna sign up for those classes?” 

Donna looked confused. Then it hit her. “You mean childbirth classes?” 

Josh nodded. 

“Not yet. I-I want to give Cliff the choice as to whether he wants to be actively involved in the birth or not.” 

“I thought he said he wanted to be there.” 

“He does, if nothing else then to support me. But we haven’t really talked about it recently.” 

“I think you should. You’re due in a little less than three months, Donna. It’s a little late for him to suddenly have cold feet about this.” 

“I don’t think it’s cold feet.” Donna protested. 

“Really? Then what would you call it?” Josh volleyed back. 

Donna thought about that as the pair of them drove separately back to the White House. Was Cliff getting cold feet? Was she in for a showdown when she got home tonight? 

… 

Meanwhile, Cliff was in the House cafeteria, going to lunch after a long morning of meetings about the estate tax. He had been working mostly with Josh in the White House, but he had also been working with the House Democrats as an attorney on Ways and Means. It had been a long battle, and it didn’t look like it would be over anytime soon. There were also rumors that if they tried to put the existing bill through to the White House, President Bartlet would veto it. Cliff wasn’t ready to climb that particular mountain. 

Just as he was biting into his sandwich, he heard someone call his name. “Calley!” 

He turned around to see Congressman John Tandy. The men did not interact a lot, being on opposite sides of the aisle, but Tandy had attended Cliff and Donna’s wedding the previous year, and they had collaborated on the estate tax. 

“Congressman Tandy.” Cliff said, shaking the man’s hand. 

“Cliff, you old son of a gun. How come you didn’t tell me?” 

Cliff looked at the Congressman blankly. “Sir?” 

“I saw your wife at the White House when I was meeting with Lyman. Why didn’t you tell us she was expecting?” 

“Oh.” Cliff had nearly forgotten that Donna’s pregnancy was noticeable to the outside world now. Since she was thinner and taller, it had taken her a little while longer than most women to start showing, but Cliff was secretly grateful for that: it kept people from asking too many questions. He decided to laugh it off a little. Certainly easier than trying to explain the truth. “I don’t know. We just…haven’t really been public with it. DC’s a company town, you know? People talk.” 

“Well, all kidding aside, congratulations. That’s great news!” Congressman Tandy said, lightly punching Cliff on the arm. “Hey, what do you want it to be, a boy or a girl? Or do you already know?” 

“Well, we haven’t really thought about it.” Cliff said. He knew that Donna was carrying a boy, but it wasn’t his son. Come to think of it, it wasn’t really his news to share at all. 

“Long as it’s healthy, right?” Tandy said. 

Cliff nodded in uncommitted agreement. “Right, exactly. Hey, did you meet with Carol Gelsey yet?” He flipped the discussion back to work, skillfully avoiding the awkward portion of the conversation where he would have to explain that he was not, in fact, the biological father of his wife’s child. Nor would he be raising the baby himself. 

… 

A few days later, Sam was getting home from the office late. On this particular day, he knew that Josh would beat him home-he had his own deposition in front of the Government Oversight committee today. 

He walked in and heard the treadmill going. The thought struck him that the deposition must have been particularly brutal if he was turning to yet another exercise session than his early-morning run in order to de-stress. 

“Josh? Honey, I’m home.” He called out. 

“In the guest room.” He heard Josh yell back over the sound of the whirring treadmill. 

Sam chuckled, then walked into the guest room. “Do you really think I can’t hear the machine that you’ve got going?” 

Josh grinned, turning off the treadmill before hopping off and walking over to Sam to kiss him. “Yeah, I didn’t really think about that.” 

Sam laughed. “You want to grab something to eat?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Josh said, following Sam out to the kitchen. 

“So, how’d it go today?” Sam asked. He had a feeling, based on the questions that they had asked him, about how the deposition had gone, but he wanted to hear it from Josh. 

Josh sighed. He knew this conversation would be coming eventually. “Gibson was the guy in charge of questioning me. You know how he feels about us.” 

Sam rubbed his temples. He didn’t like where this was going. “And?” 

“And...I kind of lost it on him.” 

Sam’s eyes bugged out. “Josh!” 

“He was asking really arcane questions about us! He shouldn’t even be allowed to ask those kinds of questions!” 

“Josh. What did he ask?” 

“He asked if President Bartlet made the decision to hire two openly gay men on his staff in an attempt to deflect concern from his health?” 

“What-what-” Sam was flabbergasted-and more than a little angry. “The President hired us based on our qualifications, not our sexual orientation.” 

“And that’s exactly what I told him. Before I let him have it.” 

“You can be crazy, and you can go overboard sometimes.” Sam admitted. “But I love you for it.” He pressed a kiss to Josh’s hair before pulling him in for a hug. “But you’re still gonna have to answer to Leo.” 

Josh chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I am.” 

“Oh, by the way,” Sam said, changing the subject, “we still haven’t decided what we’re going to do with him when we go back to work once he’s here.” 

“He’ll be old enough for day care by then.” Josh replied. 

“And after the daycare closes?” Sam asked. “Our jobs are in no way, shape, or form 9-5 jobs.” 

Josh shrugged. “I’m sure Donna won’t mind watching him if we work late.” 

“Yeah, I guess she won’t. You really think she’ll want to be part of his life?” 

“I know she will.” Josh said determinedly. Little did Josh know that on the other side of town, their surrogate’s marriage was about to completely implode. 

… 

Donna stepped in the front door of her own apartment. “Cliff? Honey?” 

Cliff was at the dining room table, working on his laptop. When he looked up, all he said was, “You’re home late.” 

“Yeah, Josh had his deposition, and I had to close out a few files for him. Then, I went over to the hospital and registered for those childbirth classes Dr. Anderson told me about.” She put the pamphlet on the table. “Are you going to take them with me?” 

Cliff looked at the pamphlet. “I’m not gonna have time. This estate tax business is eating me alive. Why don’t you take Sam?” 

“Because Sam isn’t my husband.” Donna replied. “You are.” 

“Fine.” Cliff said dismissively in a way that hurt Donna’s feelings. She closed her eyes for a second, then walked into the kitchen to start dinner. 

Suddenly, something made her want to stand up for herself. She walked back into the dining room. 

“If we were having this baby together, you would move heaven and earth to make sure you could take those classes with me.” She didn’t really expect Cliff to respond, she just threw that out there. 

But Cliff shot back. “But we’re not.” He walked into the kitchen, away from the conversation. 

Donna followed him, where she saw him looking in the refrigerator. “Why don’t we have any soda in here?” he snapped. “I thought you were supposed to go to the store.”

“Cliff, I told you from the beginning of this that if you had any reservations, we would call the whole thing off. Didn’t I tell you that?” 

“And I told you I was fine.” 

“You’re not acting fine.” 

“You know what, Donna? I really think I’m the best judge of how I’m acting. And if you were home for more than an hour a night, maybe you would know that.” 

“Oh, now we’re back to this? My job’s important to me.” 

“I didn’t say it wasn’t important to you. I’m saying you haven’t been home for dinner in months. Ever since we found out about the kid, you’ve been spending every spare minute with Josh and Sam.” 

“I have not!” 

“You have too!” 

“I have not!” Donna said, raising her voice. 

“Donna.” Cliff paused. “This isn’t working.” 

“What’s not working?” 

“This.” he said, gesturing between the two of them. 

“Really?” 

“Yes.” 

“Since when?” 

“Since...since the day you decided to do this. You spend all your spare time talking about the baby, thinking about the baby. When was the last time you thought about someone other than yourself?” 

“Excuse me?” Donna said in disbelief. “Who was the one who said they would stand by me every step of the way?” 

“You know, people come up to me in the halls of the House, congratulating me, saying, ‘Why in the world didn’t you say anything?’ Do you know how hard it’s going to be to explain to people that my wife’s gonna have a baby, but I’m not going to be part of it?”

“Believe it or not, Cliff, I don’t care what people think. I know I’m doing a good thing.” 

“And you have the kid, and you’re gonna be his mother, and what does that make me? Nothing.” 

Donna stood there, stunned. She couldn’t believe Cliff had kept all this inside. “You really feel like this?” 

“Yeah. I do.” His voice was short. He turned away. “You made your decision, and I’m not gonna beat a dead horse. But if you think I’m just going to stand by and watch you give birth to another man’s child, you have another thing coming.” 

“You know what?” Donna asked quietly. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe...maybe we need to take some time apart, think about this.” 

“Think about  _ what? _ ” Cliff exploded. 

“About whether we want our marriage to work.” 

He was silent, gripping the counter and keeping his gaze steady on Donna. Donna noticed, however, that he wasn’t looking her in the eye. “You want to separate?” 

“I’m saying we need to take some time apart.” She repeated. 

Cliff again fell quiet. A moment of silence passed between the couple, and Donna could feel tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She knew she was right, but she didn’t want it to end like this. “Cliff…” she said. 

“No, no.” Cliff replied. “You’re right.” 

Donna turned to the counter, looking down while putting one hand on her belly. “Do you want to go, or should I?” 

“No, I will.” Cliff said. “I’ll go to a hotel.” 

Ten minutes later, Cliff was loading his suitcase into his car outside. As he got in, he saw Donna in the window, watching him leave. After a brief, lingering moment, he climbed in, closed the door, and drove away. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Rough, I know, but I had to create some drama somewhere. Please let me know what you thought!


	7. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the next chapter! It starts right after the last chapter left off. I hope you enjoy, please read and review!

Chapter 7: The Aftermath 

After Cliff left for the hotel (he emailed her that he would be staying at the Hyatt Place on Capitol Hill, in case she needed anything), Donna sat on the couch in her living room and cried for a solid hour. How could things have gone so wrong? She knew she would never regret going through with the surrogacy, but she did regret ignoring Cliff. She was regretting a lot of things right now. 

He had been right about one thing-whether Donna realized it or not, she hadn’t been home much recently. And she was at just as much fault for the two of them growing apart in their marriage as Cliff was for not talking to her. 

Donna got up from the couch for some water-all the crying was making her thirsty. She opened the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and walked into her bedroom. Sitting down on the edge of her bed, however, she was immediately met with a sight that should have warmed her heart, but instead just made her feel worse: her and Cliff’s wedding picture.

Smiling softly through her tears, she picked up the frame and traced her finger along her and Cliff, him in a black tuxedo, and her in a strapless ivory gown that billowed out around her, clutching a mixed bouquet of roses. They were both smiling brightly for the camera. 

Donna was suddenly brought back to the memories of that warm August day, a year and two weeks earlier. When they had gotten engaged at Christmas, Donna, an only child, had asked CJ to be her maid of honor, and Margaret, Carol, Ginger, and Bonnie had been her bridesmaids. Cliff’s older brother had been best man, and his younger brothers, Sam, and Josh had been groomsmen. They had offered a spot to Toby, but he politely declined, saying being in weddings wasn't for him. 

They had married in the afternoon at the Hay-Adams in front of 150 of their family and friends. After a brief battle with the Secret Service, the Bartlets had been allowed to attend. Donna had felt incredibly humbled that the President and First Lady of the United States had wanted to attend her wedding. 

Donna realized with a start during her reminiscing that in their busy lives, they had barely acknowledged their first wedding anniversary. They had gone out to dinner, but that was it: neither had had time to do anything more than that. 

Was that why Cliff had been so upset? Was he jealous? No, Donna decided. Things had been building for a while, ever since she had agreed to go through with the surrogacy. He had agreed to support her, but clearly, those feelings had changed. 

But was Cliff willing to work out their issues in order to save their marriage? 

Donna sighed, putting the frame face down on her nightstand-she wasn’t ready yet for the flood of emotions it brought. Flicking on the TV, she turned off her lamp and burrowed under the covers as CNN blared. She didn’t ordinarily fall asleep with the TV on, but tonight, she would make an exception. 

It was too quiet. 

… 

Over the next few days, Josh noticed a change in Donna. And it wasn’t just because his and Sam’s baby was growing inside of her. She was quieter, more professional, almost as if she was afraid to let go. After a few days of getting one-word answers out of her whenever he asked anything of her that wasn’t related to work, Josh had had enough. He pulled Donna into his office. 

“Okay, what’s going on? Did I do something?” 

Donna was taken aback. “What? No, you didn’t do anything. What makes you say that?” 

“Donna, something’s going on. I can see it in your eyes. So, what’s up?” 

She took a deep breath, trying not to cry. 

Josh’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God. Something really is wrong.” 

“No, no.” Donna said quickly. “It-It’s just-” She took another breath. It would be better to just rip off the Band-Aid. “Cliff moved out last night. We’ve decided to take some time apart.” 

Josh’s face was unreadable for a minute. Shock, confusion, then anger registered on his face. “I’ll kill him.” 

“Josh...it wasn’t him, he didn’t blindside me. It was both of us...it was a mutual decision.” Donna was trying to maintain her composure, but was finding it very difficult. “Something in our relationship isn’t working anymore, and we need to take some time apart and figure it out.” 

“‘Something in our relationship.’ That sounds like code for ‘You wanted to go through with the pregnancy, and he didn’t support you.’” 

“No!” Donna immediately said. Then, her voice softened. “It’s more complicated than that.” 

“What could possibly be more complicated than that?” 

“He said he was all right with it when we first agreed to it. Then...things shifted. I guess it started to hit him that this baby wasn’t going to be his. And he was worried that I’m choosing the baby over him. Which is completely unfounded.” She added quickly, seeing the look on Josh’s face. 

Donna heard a noise at the door. She turned to see Sam, who had obviously heard everything. 

“Sorry. I came to see Josh, but...I couldn’t help but overhear.” He came in and put a comforting hand on Donna’s shoulder. “I’m really sorry.” 

“Guys, it’s not like we’re getting a divorce. Not yet, at least. We’re just taking some time to work out our issues.” 

Sam rubbed a hand through his hair. “This is our fault.” 

Donna turned around to make eye contact with Sam. “No, Sam, it isn’t.” 

“But we asked you to-” 

“And I said I would, it was my decision, and Cliff agreed to support me. It’s not my fault his feelings changed.” She sighed, looking down at her hands over her expanding stomach-the most visible reminder of her marital troubles. “I just hope it’s not too late for us.” 

Josh and Sam, with identical expressions of guilt and worry on their faces, could only stand by quietly and hope that Donna was right. 

… 

The next month passed slowly. Cliff went to work during the day, and to a hotel at night. He threw himself into his work, but not that that helped much. Getting the estate tax through Congress became the number-one way he could avoid thinking about how his marriage was falling apart. 

Where had things gone wrong? Well, that was a stupid question, he thought. He knew exactly where things had gone wrong. The surrogacy-and her failure to notice that he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea-had caused a major strain on their relationship. 

Things had blown up, and now he was sleeping in a hotel every night, letting Donna have the apartment and coming home once in a week for some fresh clothes. 

They had spoken exactly two times in the last month: once when Cliff called to make sure she knew that he would be at the apartment to pick up some of his things, the second time when they ran into each other on the Hill when she was running an errand for Josh. 

For someone who wanted to “take time apart”, she was sure doing that. But Cliff had done some thinking, too. He loved Donna with all his heart. While he still wasn’t sure how he felt about the surrogacy, he knew that he could learn to live with it, and he could learn to live with her being involved with another man’s child. 

They had a lot to work out. Counseling might not be a bad idea. But ultimately, at the end of the day, he wasn’t ready to give up. Not on her, and certainly not on them. 

He also needed to apologize to Josh and Sam, who had started taking the childbirth classes with Donna. He had taken a great deal of his frustration out on the two of them, and that wasn’t fair to them. All they wanted was a baby. And his wife wanted to do the wonderful, selfless thing of giving them one. The truth was, he had never been more proud of her. 

Lying in his bed at the Hyatt Place, he came to a conclusion. Tomorrow, he was going to begin to put the pieces back together. 

Whatever it took. 

…

The next day, Cliff called Josh’s office. He knew that calling Josh meant talking to Donna, and he was taking that risk. If it meant killing two birds with one stone, well, then…

He was interrupted in his thought process by a very familiar voice saying, “Josh Lyman’s office.” 

He could hardly get the words out. “Hey. It’s me.” 

“Hi.” Her voice sounded surprised, but then again, they hadn’t talked in a couple of weeks. 

They both started to talk at the same time, but stopped. Donna laughed a little, and Cliff’s heart grew light. It had been a long time since they had laughed together. 

“You go first.” She said. 

“Can I make an appointment with Josh?” 

“Um...sure.” she replied, rifling through the calendar. “More on the estate tax?” 

“Actually, this meeting’s a bit more...personal.” 

She paused. “Personal?” 

“I need to start making things right.” 

“You do?” 

He paused. “I-I’ve made some mistakes, Donna. And I’m ready to talk about how we’re going to make this work.” 

There was silence on the other end. “Donna? You still there?” 

“Yeah, I’m still here.” She replied. “You wanna meet for coffee after your meeting with Josh?” 

Cliff smiled at the memory that popped into his head with that image-coffee dates were something they had done often in the early days of their relationship. “Sure. I’d like that. So, what time?” 

“Does 2:00 work? Tomorrow?” 

Cliff’s grin got even wider. “2:00 is perfect.” 

Cliff walked into Josh’s office the next afternoon. “Hi.” 

Josh looked up, and his expression clouded over. “Hi.” 

“Are we going to make this awkward?” Cliff said, raising his hands in surrender. 

“Do we have to?” 

“I don’t think we have to, nor do I want to.” Cliff made eye contact with the future second father of his wife's child. “In fact, I wanted to apologize.” 

Josh’s expression changed. “You do?” He walked over and closed the door. He knew Donna was out to lunch, but he somehow wanted to spare her the awkwardness of seeing him. 

Cliff nodded. “I’ve been an idiot these past few months, and I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I’ve been a bit jealous.” 

“Jealous.” Josh repeated incredulously. 

“Of what you, Donna, and Sam have. And I know that sounds crazy, but...just the idea that this baby is going to connect the three of you in a way that I can’t penetrate-I just can’t help but feel like…” 

“You’re left out of your own wife’s life a little?” 

“Yeah. And I know that sounds stupid, but...that’s how I felt. And it’s taken me a month, but I finally came to a conclusion.”   
“Which is?” 

“I wanna fight for her, Josh. I wanna fight for our marriage. I love her, and I want to make this work. The truth is, I couldn’t be more proud of her and what she’s doing.” 

Josh nodded. “I accept your apology. But as far as the other stuff, I'm not the one who needs to hear it.” He gestured toward the door. “The person who sits outside does.” 

Cliff smiled. “So we’re friends again?” 

“Yeah. We are.” Josh said, shaking his hand. “Now go make up with your wife.” 

… 

Twenty minutes later, Cliff and Donna were sitting at a coffee shop that they frequented while they were dating, and even sometimes after they were married. Then, Cliff looked at her, and poured his heart out. He told her everything he had said to Josh, and then some. 

When he had finished, Donna had tears streaming down her face. Wiping her eyes, she said, “It’s gonna take a lot of work.” 

“I know.” 

“Counseling probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.” 

“I agree. I’ll do whatever I have to do to make this work.” 

“But that’s a path I’m willing to take.” She said, reaching for his hand for the first time in a month. “Because I love you. And right now, I’m starting to see the guy I fell in love with. The guy I married.” She hesitated. “There’s just one thing, though.” 

“What?” 

“I don’t think you should move home yet.” 

Cliff was taken aback. “Why not?” 

“Because, like you said, we have a lot to work through. And what I’m going through right now is a big part of the problem. I don’t want to fight anymore. Not about this.” She said, gesturing to her belly, snug under a purple maternity blouse. “Let’s go to a couple counseling sessions first, then we’ll talk about you moving home and re-starting our lives. Deal?” 

Cliff was quiet. Then, he nodded and reached for her hand, rubbing her fingers the way he used to.

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! Next chapter will be a bit of a time jump. Please let me know what you thought!


	8. Working Things Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the next chapter, likely the second to last! It’s fairly straightforward with a little surprise at the end! Hope you enjoy, please read and review!

Chapter 8: Working Things Out 

It had been three weeks since Donna and Cliff had met at the coffeehouse and made a tentative plan for their reconciliation. Donna had made what (at least to Cliff) was an intelligent suggestion-that Cliff would not move back in until after the pair of them had met with a marriage counselor. Three weeks had passed, and it was the afternoon of their appointment. Between their work schedules, and the fact that every marriage counselor was booked through the end of September, this had been the earliest they could get in. 

Cliff entered the small waiting room of the counseling office to see Donna scribbling out some information on a clipboard, holding it on top of her belly. Cliff couldn’t believe that the baby was due in a month. One more month and they would have their lives back. Well, with one important addition. 

He sat down next to her, where Donna finally seemed to notice his presence. “Hi.” she said softly, smiling. 

“Hi.” He replied. For not the first time in their marriage, Cliff struggled with what to say. Maybe this was why they needed counseling so badly. Maybe they had already said everything that they felt needed to be said. 

Suddenly, it occurred to him. “You had a doctor’s appointment yesterday, right? How did it go?” 

“Fine.” She answered, smiling softly. “Baby’s growing like a weed. The doctor thinks he’s right on track to arrive in a month, if not sooner.” 

Cliff smiled, nodding in understanding. Just then, the door to the office opened, and a professional-looking woman stuck her head out. “Mr. and Mrs. Calley?” 

They stood up. “You ready?” Cliff asked quietly. 

Donna nodded nervously. Cliff could tell that she was thinking the same thing he was-they hoped to God that this would work. 

The therapist introduced herself as Laura Wilcox. Cliff and Donna introduced themselves and Laura urged the pair of them to take a seat. “Can I get anybody anything? Tea, coffee?” 

“No, I’m fine.” Donna replied. “Cliff?” Cliff shook his head. 

“All right, well, let’s get started.” Laura began. “I’d like to get to know the two of you a little first. How long have you known each other?” 

“Um...a little over two years.” Cliff answered. “We’ve been married for about 14 months.” 

“Can you tell me how you two met?” 

“Through work.” Donna replied, smiling warmly at the memory of the day she met first Cliff, just a few months into the Bartlet Administration. “He was meeting with my boss on a bill they were working on, and he kept coming back. And eventually, he asked me out.” 

“What do you do for work?” 

“I’m an attorney for the Majority Leader’s office, and she is the assistant to the Deputy White House Chief of Staff.” Cliff answered. 

“How long did you know each other before you were engaged?” 

“Eight months.” 

“Can you tell me what problems are bringing you here today? It’s OK if you’re not fully ready to come out into the open yet, but sometimes it’s good to just start talking.” She paused. “Also, it’s not really common that I get people in here who’ve only been married a year.” 

“A while ago, we came close to divorcing. And Cliff and I both agreed that if we wanted to make our marriage work, we needed to go to counseling.” Donna admitted. 

Laura nodded. “I see you’re expecting a baby. Congratulations, when are you due?” 

Donna smiled shyly, placing a hand on her belly. “November...but it’s not my husband’s. I’m a surrogate for two of my friends.” 

“Oh.” Laura said, surprised. “And I’m guessing that you weren’t completely on board with it, Cliff?” 

Cliff shook his head. “I thought I was, but...I wasn’t.” 

“Had you had communication problems before this happened?” 

“I didn’t think we did.” Donna said. 

“What do you mean, you didn’t think you did?” 

“We’ve always gotten along great.” Cliff supplied. Donna gave him a grateful smile. “I fell in love with her two years ago, and I’m still in love with her. I just...feel like I was blindsided.” 

That struck Donna. “Blindsided? I don’t recall Josh and Sam leaving you out of the discussion. They asked us both.” 

“I assume that’s the couple you’re carrying for?” Laura interjected. 

“Yes. Actually, Josh is my boss, and Sam is his partner. But we’ve gotten pretty close over the last three years, and I feel comfortable saying that they’re two of my closest friends.” 

“Okay.” Laura replied. “So, what I hear you saying, Cliff, is that you felt blindsided by Donna’s decision. Is that right?” 

“Yes.” Cliff confirmed. “It’s true, they did ask both of us, but I feel like Donna had already made up her mind before we left the restaurant-they took us out to dinner to ask us about considering the surrogacy. We talked about it, but I feel like that whole conversation was you talking me into it. There was no conversation.” 

Donna was quiet. She knew Cliff was right. 

“Donna?” Laura asked carefully. “Is that what happened?” 

“Yes.” Donna replied. “I guess I was so excited at the prospect about doing something for someone else, something that was bigger than myself, that I didn’t really consider that Cliff was saying one thing and feeling something else.” She turned to Cliff. “I guess...I guess I just took for granted that you were 100% behind me.” 

“And I guess…” Cliff started, then trailed off. He started again. “I guess I didn’t communicate that well enough. And I did support you going through with it at the beginning-I want you to know that.” 

“You just changed your mind later? Why didn’t you come to me?” 

“Because!” Cliff snapped. Laura was leaning forward, listening intently to their conversation in case she needed to jump in and suggest ways they could more effectively communicate. But otherwise, she was perfectly comfortable sitting back and listening. It was obvious they were getting some serious feelings off their chests. 

Cliff sighed. “You were so determined to go through with this, and from day one, you spent all your time...with them. And between your job and mine, we’ve never had a chance to talk. I’m not saying I wish you hadn’t gone through with it. You’re gonna make two people very happy because of what you’re doing for them. I just wished we could’ve talked.” 

Donna was starting to cry. She never knew that Cliff had held all this back. “I wish we could’ve talked, too.” she said quietly through her tears. She grabbed his hand. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” Cliff said, squeezing her hand. 

Laura smiled. “So, obviously, you needed to get some things off your chest. I’m glad you were able to do that.” 

“I’m sorry if we haven’t really let you talk.” Donna said, wiping her eyes. 

“No, no, no. This is actually really common. I’ll ask a couple of questions, and it unleashes a volcano of emotions.” She reached for a clipboard. “However, it does sound like you both have some underlying communication problems, whether it’s related to work or not.” 

For the next 30 minutes, they talked out some different communication techniques, including setting aside a few minutes each night to just talk to one another without distraction. They left the office that day feeling that they had a very successful first session. 

… 

Donna and Cliff met with Laura three more times. Each time, they talked about how things were going, and discussing whatever new issues cropped up that week. They learned to communicate more effectively, and Laura suggested ways to deal with Cliff’s impending jealousy towards Donna’s relationship with Josh and Sam, and with the baby. 

“We all have friends outside marriage.” Laura was saying, sitting down with a cup of coffee across from Cliff. Donna was running late due to work, and Cliff had taken the opportunity to speak to Laura alone about the feelings he was experiencing. “From what you’ve told me, the couple your wife is carrying the baby for are in a loving, committed relationship. Do you feel there’s any reason to be jealous of them?” 

“No.” Cliff admitted. “I guess that’s what I can’t understand. Why do I feel like this?” 

“Because that bond will be there.” Laura explained. “That baby will always be connected to someone other than you. And you don’t like that this baby won’t be yours. Is that right?” 

He nodded. Laura had hit the nail right on the head. 

Laura pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote down a name and number. “I want you to meet with one of my colleagues. He’ll be able to help you pinpoint your problems and how to deal with them.” 

Cliff accepted the paper with a wry smile. “Thank you.” 

Just then, Donna rushed in. She was moving slower these days, due to the pregnancy, but she walked as quickly as she could. “I’m sorry I’m late.” She smiled at Cliff: he hadn’t moved back in yet, but they were spending a lot of time together, trying to talk out their problems and get closer as a couple. 

“Not at all, Donna.” Laura replied. “Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll get started?” 

… 

Three nights after that day, Donna was working late. It was the week before Thanksgiving, and she was working on early primary paperwork for Josh. She stood up and walked into CJ’s office, intending to ask her a question about the President’s answer to the question they had been talking about the previous week. 

“How are you feeling?” CJ asked her cheerfully-too cheerfully for Donna’s liking. She was exhausted, her feet were sore, and with a little less than two weeks left to go, she was ready to get this baby out. 

“I’m ready to let this guy out, that’s for sure.” Donna said, rubbing her belly. “Do you have those forms for-” 

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and an agent poked his head in. “We’re on lockdown, ladies.” 

Donna whirled around. “Lockdown? What-” 

“Just a precaution.” The agent explained. “We’re concerned a foreign substance has entered the atmosphere.” He disappeared, shutting the door behind him. 

“You think it’s a drill?” Donna asked CJ. 

“Or a false alarm.” CJ replied. “Why don’t you sit down? Get off your feet.” 

Donna smiled gratefully and eased onto the couch. After ten minutes, CJ asked, “So, how much longer again?” 

“Two more weeks.” Just then, Donna felt the baby kicking and laughed a little. “He just kicked.” 

“Yeah?” CJ said, smiling. “Are you gonna be ready after he’s born?” 

“Well, it’s not like I won’t get to see him.” Donna said, craning her neck so she could look at CJ. 

“I don’t think I could do what you’re doing.” CJ admitted. “Knowing that I’m not going to be raising my own baby completely? Even if it was for a friend, I don’t think I could go through all of that only to not take him or her home.” 

“Do you think about having kids one day?” Donna asked, momentarily distracted by a tightness seizing her belly. Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. Then, she felt something else-wetness. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening. 

But CJ was still answering Donna’s question. “I mean, I guess I’ve always thought about it, but I know I wouldn't have time until after the administration’s over. But I guess you’ve had time to think about that, haven’t you, Donna?...Donna?” 

CJ stood up from her desk, and walked around to see that Donna’s face was ashen. “Hey.” CJ said, her voice suddenly soft. She put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “You OK? Talk to me.” 

Donna gasped a little, both from the shock and the impending pain. “CJ...I think my water just broke.” 

The door opened again, and the same agent poked his head in. “All clear, ladies. False alarm.” 

“And not a second too soon.” CJ said dryly. Rushing out of her office, she hurried to Sam’s office. “Sam? It’s time.” 

Within ten minutes of Donna’s water breaking, Josh and Sam were hustling her across town to the nearest hospital, to well-wishes from CJ, Toby, and Leo, who all decided to come down to the hospital and wait. President Bartlet and Abbey also heard the news, and they insisted on being updated via phone. 

Two hours later, Donna moaned her way through yet another contraction as they got stronger. She tried hard to remember her breathing, and Sam and Josh did their best to help her, but all three of them knew there was one person she needed, and he was currently unreachable. 

As Donna rested following a particularly difficult contraction, Sam excused himself, saying he wanted to update their little group. But once he was outside the labor and delivery unit, he reached for his cell phone and dialed a familiar number. 

“Cliff? It’s Sam. I know you and Donna have been having your own problems, and I know you haven’t been exactly agreeable with this surrogacy business, but right now, your wife needs you. So, do the first decent thing you’ve done for her in months and get down here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The baby’s on the way! Will Cliff take Sam’s message to heart? Let me know what you think of this chapter!


	9. Welcome to The Family; Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here’s the final chapter! It's a little long, but it wraps up the story, with an epilogue at the end. Thanks to everyone who read, liked, and commented on this story! I hope you enjoy this last chapter, please read and review!

Chapter 9: Welcome to the Family; Epilogue 

Donna had been in labor for nearly four hours, and Cliff was still unreachable. In fact, the man in question was still across town, dealing with a very difficult case and testimony involving the Majority Leader’s office. He had thought the MS prosecution case would be difficult, but he found the testimony he was in now when dealing with their newest bill to be even more difficult, if that was possible. Right now, at this moment, all Cliff wanted to do was go home and take a nice, hot shower. He would call Donna, too; he suspected she needed to hear his voice just as much as he needed to hear hers. 

Finally, at about 10:30, Cliff stepped outside of the office onto Capitol Hill. It was a typical DC night in November: brisk, windy, and cold. His teeth chattering against the cold, he pulled out his cellular phone, a Nokia 3310. Cliff’s eyes widened as he saw seven missed calls, and two new voice messages. His fingers trembled, not just because of the cold, but because of the impending news. He hit “Play Message” and listened. 

All he had to hear were three words: “Donna’s in labor.”, and he was off and running to his car. Jumping in, then and only then did he have a chance to listen to the second message that Sam left: _“Cliff? It’s Sam. I know you and Donna have been having your own problems, and I know you haven’t been exactly agreeable with this surrogacy business, but right now, your wife needs you. So, do the first decent thing you’ve done for her in months and get down here!”_

Hearing those harsh words, he gunned his engine and peeled out of the parking lot towards GW. The fact was, Sam was right: Donna needed him at this moment, no matter what their problems were. It didn’t matter that the baby wasn’t his, because at the end of the day, Donna was still his wife, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health. 

Now, his only question was-would he make it in time? 

He dialed Sam quickly. “Come on, Sam, come on, pick up, pick up!” 

On the other side of town, Sam’s Nokia 5190 blared out a monophonic version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”. “Hello?” 

“Sam, it’s Cliff. I was in a deposition, or I would’ve called you back sooner. How’s she doing?” 

“ _She’s getting close. I would step on it if I were you. She could use you right about now._ ” Cliff could hear Donna moaning in the background. God, how close was she? 

“Sam? How close are we talking here?” 

“ _Close._ ” Sam’s voice was firm. “ _I guess you can kind of hear what’s going on._ ” 

“Tell her I love her and I’ll be there as soon as I can, all right?” 

_“Will do.”_

As Cliff hung up, he felt a renewed sense of urgency. He slammed his foot on the gas and accelerated as much he could without breaking the law. Racing through the streets of Washington DC, he made the 17-minute trip in less than 11. He peeled into a parking space, sharply turned off the engine, jumped out of his car, and ran for the entrance. 

Gasping for air, he asked the receptionist, “Donnatella Moss. What room is she in?” 

The woman typed something into the computer. “Room 327. Take the elevator to the third floor, and check in with the Labor and Delivery desk.” She stifled a laugh as Cliff barely took in her instructions and bolted to the elevator bank. 

… 

Donna collapsed against her pillow, rolling to her back as the contraction ended. They were getting harder and were much closer together, and at her last examination, she was eight centimeters dilated. Sam and Josh tried to help her through her breathing, but weren’t being incredibly helpful. She needed Cliff. 

As she predicted, barely a minute passed before another one started. “Sam…” 

Sam rushed forward and grabbed her hand. He and Josh had been taking turns coaching Donna through her contractions. It made them feel useful, like they were doing something to help. Whether or not they were actually helping Donna was a question they had yet to answer. They were hoping Cliff would be there soon: Sam had talked to him, and he was on his way. It was just a waiting game now. 

Donna let out a cry of pain as the contraction took hold. In the throes of the contraction, she was barely aware of the door banging open. 

“I’m here, I’m here, I’m here!” Cliff said as he ran into the room. Taking stock of the situation, he didn’t stop to take off his coat, but immediately reached over and grabbed his wife’s hand, stroking her hair with his free hand. “I’m here, baby.” he said quietly into her ear. Josh and Sam, relieved at Cliff’s entrance, stepped back to allow the couple a minute. 

Donna’s eyes, squeezed shut tightly against the pain, fluttered open at the new voice in the room. “Cl-Cliff?” she stuttered, the pain and shock nearly taking her ability to speak. “You’re here.” 

“I’m here.” Cliff reassured her, smiling softly as he pressed a kiss to her forehead, which was beaded with sweat. Josh handed him a cold washcloth, which he pressed against her forehead, willing it to give her a bit of relief. She sighed a little, trembling as the contraction began to ease off, allowing her to take deep breaths. He held her hand and kept eye contact as he breathed quietly with her.   
  
“That’s it, good job.” Cliff murmured, stroking her hair as the pain finally began to subside. Donna closed her eyes for a second, exhausted, then opened them again. 

“Thank you.” She said, still recovering from the contraction. “For coming.” 

Cliff smiled wryly. “I said I would be here, didn’t I?” 

The doctor, who had come in in the middle of the contraction, stood at the foot of Donna’s bed. “Cliff, good, you’re here.” she said matter-of-factly. “How are we doing in here?” 

“Getting closer.” Donna replied. 

“Feeling any pressure?” 

“Maybe a little.” 

“Okay, well, let’s take a look.” The doctor examined her, and with a smile said, “I think we’re ready to deliver.” 

Donna’s head shot up. “Really?” 

“Ten centimeters.” She turned to Josh and Sam. “Are you two going to stay in here?” 

“Only if Donna wants us to.” Sam answered. 

She looked at them. “It might get a little crowded.” She wasn’t trying to kick them out, but wanted to make sure they knew they might get kicked out anyway. 

Josh and Sam looked at one another. While they wanted to stay and watch, they also wanted to give Donna and the doctor the space they needed to do what they needed to do. 

“How about this?” Josh suggested. “We’ll just wait right outside. Then, after he’s here, we can come back in.” 

Donna nodded. “I think that sounds fair.” With that, Josh and Sam excused themselves, giving Donna plenty of encouragement, before Donna turned back to the doctor and focused on what lay ahead. 

… 

Thirty minutes later, Josh and Sam were pacing outside Donna’s hospital room when they heard it: a shrill, welcoming cry coming from inside. Josh and Sam looked at each other and broke down. 

“That’s him.” Josh said, hugging Sam before showering him with kisses. “That’s our son.” Josh surprised himself with how husky his voice sounded. Tears were brimming in his eyes. 

“Yeah.” Sam said, letting a few tears of his own escape. 

After a tortuous few minutes, Cliff poked his head out the door, taking in the new parents with pride. “Hey, Dads.” he asked quietly. “You wanna meet your son?” 

Nodding energetically, they re-entered the hospital room, where Donna was sitting up in bed. Her hair was down, and she was holding a tiny bundle wrapped in a white blanket close to her chest. A strand of brunette hair poked through the hat. 

Looking up, she smiled brightly despite her exhaustion. “Hey, guys.” 

“Hey.” Josh said softly. His breath caught as a pair of blue eyes-Sam’s eyes-stared up at him. “God, he-he’s beautiful.” 

“Do you want to hold him?” Donna asked. “Either of you?” 

Sam nodded. “Yeah. May I?” 

“Of course.” Donna sat up as much as she could and handed him the baby. A tiny hand broke free of the blankets and waved in the air towards Sam and Josh, causing both men to grin. 

Donna smiled at the heartwarming image before her and snuggled back a little into Cliff’s embrace. He kissed her temple and squeezed her shoulders. 

“I’ve been thinking.” He said, whispering so as not to interrupt Josh and Sam’s moment. “This baby’s probably gonna need a step-dad who can teach him a thing or two on the baseball field.” 

Donna looked up at him, hardly daring to hope. “Does that mean…” 

“Can I come home?” Cliff asked. 

She touched his face, both becoming emotional. Donna leaned in and whispered, “Absolutely.” 

Five minutes later, CJ, Toby, Leo, and the Bartlets made their way into the room. When the baby had been passed around from person to person, and CJ was holding him in her arms, she asked, “Does this child have a name or what?” 

“Yeah, he does.” Josh announced, looking at Donna, then at the rest of them. “We wanted a name that meant something to us, that carried on Jewish tradition but still was...you know, him.” 

“And?” Toby said, urging him to continue. 

“We would like you all to meet...Noah Thomas Seaborn-Lyman. After my father and Sam’s grandfather.” 

The room burst into soft words of support and harmony. The consensus was made-everyone loved the name. 

“That’s perfect.” Donna replied, feeling for the first time in months that her life was falling into place. “It’s him.” 

… 

_Eighteen years later_ : 

“Noah! Earth to Noah!” 

18 year old Noah Seaborn-Lyman looked up from his locker-and his smartphone-to a familiar voice. Turning around, he found his little half-sister, 16 year old Ariel, leaning against the locker next to him. “What?” 

“I just wanted to say hi.” She said defensively. 

“Geez, A, you scared me.” Noah replied. He slammed his locker. “It’s good to see you, though. I feel like I haven’t seen you since-” 

“Last week?” Ariel finished. 

“I’m coming over today, by the way.” 

“But it’s not your weekend.” She pointed out. For almost as long as Noah could remember, he had spent every other weekend and certain holidays with his mother, stepfather, and half-siblings. Josh, Sam, Donna, and Cliff had mended fences enough that they were able to equally share custody of him. Noah had never grown up not knowing who his mother was. 

“I know, but I have something I want to tell you guys.” 

  
“Okay.” Ariel said. “Are you coming home with me, or-” 

“Hello, agents?” Noah reminded her, waving his hand towards the Secret Service agents standing a few feet away. 

  
“Oh, right, I forgot. See you at our place, then?” 

“Yeah, see you in a few.” 

Ariel walked away, and Noah finished gathering his books. The agents went in front and behind him, moving him in a formation towards the car. Noah slightly rolled his eyes-he knew the protection was necessary, but he sometimes wished he could have a normal life. One where his father wasn’t President of the United States. 

His father, Sam Seaborn-Dad to him-had been President for over a year now. Before that, he had served two terms as Governor of Maryland, and three terms as a Congressman, replacing Andrea Wyatt in her seat when the latter stepped down to raise her twins. Her ex-husband Toby Ziegler was the father. 

As Noah rode in the Secret Service car towards his mother’s house in Silver Spring, he couldn’t help but reflect-with the news he had gotten that day-on how his life had gone so far. 

He started with his other father, Josh. As a kid, he had called him “Daddy Josh”; “Papa” from ten years old; and then, earlier this year, he had shortened it to “Pop”. Josh had left the White House in 2005 to run Matthew Santos for President-and had gotten him elected with his mother’s help. In gratitude for her help, he immediately offered her Deputy Chief of Staff, which she accepted. Josh served as Chief of Staff under Santos, and later under Sam. In between then, he focused on being a father. 

Wanting a younger brother or sister for Noah, they sought to go the domestic adoption route. Joan Dolores Seaborn-Lyman was born in 2007-she was 12 now. As they were getting older, they agreed that two was enough for them. An even bigger milestone in their personal lives came when they were finally allowed to be married in DC. Three-year-old Jo was the flower girl, while nine-year-old Noah was the ring bearer, and proud of his role. 

His thoughts floated to his mother’s family. He had grown up in a good relationship with his stepfather Cliff. Donna and Cliff had stayed married, and eighteen months after Noah’s birth, they announced the impending arrival of their first child. Ariel Elisabetta (after Donna’s grandmother) was born in January 2004. At around the same time they announced Donna’s pregnancy, Donna began to want to go back to school. Josh agreed to give her the time off during the week, and she walked across the stage at Georgetown in May of 2005. Shortly after her graduation, Josh transferred her to CJ’s department, where she became Deputy Press Secretary. Her first assignment-a Congressional Delegation alongside new freshman Congressman Seaborn. 

The Gaza attack shook her family badly. Josh in particular was worried about Sam, who ended up uninjured. Cliff immediately flew to Donna’s side in Germany, and she began to slowly recover. 

One of the unspoken worries about her injuries was whether or not she would be able to bear any more children. They decided, after much discussion, that if it was meant to happen, it would. In 2012, Donna became pregnant with her second child. Doctors said it was nothing short of a miracle. But the miracle was not without its complications. Tests revealed that the little boy would be born with spina bifida. The impact left newborn Leo Clifford Calley paralyzed from the waist down. But as always, they found a way to survive. Donna made the difficult decision to leave her job to care for Leo, and the family welcomed him with open arms. 

Noah was distracted by the car stopping. “We’re here.” The agent announced. After securing the house, Noah entered the kitchen. 

“Mom?” he called. “You here?” 

He saw Leo at the table in his wheelchair, working on his homework. He looked up, and smiled. “Noah!” He wheeled over, and Noah crouched down to hug him. 

“Hey, buddy.” Noah greeted. 

“Noah?” He heard his mother’s voice come out from the laundry room. “Hi, sweetheart!” Donna rounded the corner and gave her son a kiss. 

“I have some news.” Noah started. 

“Oh?” Donna said as she got ready to start dinner. “Are you staying for dinner?” 

“Probably, but that’s not what-” 

“Hey, sport!” Cliff greeted, ruffling his hair. “Hi, honey.” he said to Donna, kissing her. Ariel walked in next, asking her father for the keys to the car. The chaos level in the kitchen was beginning to reach typical levels. Noah knew he had to share his news quickly if he wanted their attention. 

He went further into the kitchen and spoke above the din. “I got into Yale, by the way.” 

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him. 

“You got in?” Donna repeated. 

“Yeah, I did.” Noah replied, smiling wide. 

The room burst into cheers. Cliff and Donna both hugged him, and his siblings high-fived him. Donna kissed him on the cheek. 

“I’m so proud of you.” She said. 

That very night, both families got together at the White House Residence to celebrate Noah’s success. 

“To Noah.” Josh said, raising his glass. “May this be the first in a long line of successes.” 

“Hear, hear!” Sam said cheerfully. He had cleared his evening schedule upon receiving his son’s news. 

“Thanks, Pop.” Noah said. He looked around at his family-his fathers, his mother and stepfather, and his three half-siblings (Ariel, Jo, and Leo). It was a new kind of family-one that worked wonderfully well in spite of all the chaos it brought sometimes-and Noah wouldn’t have it any other way. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And that’s my story! I hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please let me know what you thought.

**Author's Note:**

> And there’s the first chapter! I do hope you enjoy this story, it’s much different than my usual works, but it’s an idea that’s been in the back of my head for a while. Please let me know what you thought!


End file.
